The October issue of Martha Stewart Living features a prominent article about valuable textiles originating from all over Southeast Asia. In an interview, Wipawee Tiyawes, curator of the Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection, provides some key background information about the firm’s collection, the different regions where the textiles originate, and how they can be distinguished from one another. The article also details how owners must be very careful in preserving the textiles with specific storage conditions and cleaning methods. Particular attention is given to a textile from the Ayudhya-Rattanakosin period, during which the King ordered fabric weaved in India with a Thai design, by the Royal Craftsmen.
In describing the pricelessness of these textiles, the article highlights the collection held at the Tilleke & Gibbins Bangkok office and the role played by David Lyman, the firm’s Chairman & Chief Values Officer, in developing the collection. The author emphasizes that the textiles are seen as paintings that tell the stories of those who weaved the fabrics, and how, over the years, they have become a symbol of history and formed part of Thai heritage.